2003 Reviews

Review of Philip F. Kennedy, The Wine Song in Classical Arabic Poetry: Abū Nuwās and the Literary Tradition

Riedel, Dagmar A.

The literary fame of Abu Nuwäs al-Hasan b. Hani' al-Hakami (died between 813 and 815) is founded on his reputation as poete maudit, whose diwan contains brilliant examples of both the traditional poetic genres and their parodies. The poet was a contemporary - and an alleged boon companion - of Harun al-Rashid (ruled 786-809). Both men became the subject of many legends, and popular stories about them are preserved through the Arabian. These stories, in which the poet appears as an equal of the 'Abbasid caliph, document the social and political importance of poetry in the emerging Arabo-Islamic culture of the 'Abbasid court in Baghdad.